Design for Neurodiversity (DfN*)
A dog’s sense of smell is orders of magnitude more powerful than a human’s, and carries far more information about the nature of its environment than just an ordinary scent. In her book Inside of a Dog, Alexandra Horowitz explains that while we might be able to smell a teaspoon of sugar in our coffee, a dog would be able to tell whether there was a teaspoon of sugar present in a body of water two times the size of an Olympic swimming pool. When a dog comes up to you to smell and lick your hand, it’s engaging in a behavior that is perfectly normal, given the way the dog’s senses are configured (and brain is wired).
It’s easy to understand that dogs experience the world different than you do. But do you know that lots of humans experience the world in a fundamentally different way?
How would you design a product, a work process, or a work environment for someone like this… and who (like a dog) may not have the words to express what they are experiencing?
That’s the challenge that I want to solve: to create a process that can be used by any organization to create products, services, and environments that will serve the rapidly growing neurodiverse population.
“Neurodiversity is a concept where neurological differences are to be recognized and respected as any other human variation. These differences can include those labeled with Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyscalculia, Autistic Spectrum, Tourette Syndrome, and others… For many autistic people, neurodiversity is viewed is a concept and social movement that advocates for viewing autism as a variation of human wiring, rather than a disease. As such, neurodiversity activists reject the idea that autism should be cured, advocating instead for celebrating autistic forms of communication and self-expression, and for promoting support systems that allow autistic people to live as autistic people.” From https://neurodiversitysymposium.wordpress.com/what-is-neurodiversity/
Although my research is in its earliest stages, I gave a talk last week at HASTAC 2016 outlining some of the elements of Design for Neurodiversity (DfN*). This structured design methodology is being developed by exploring the intersection of Design for X (DfX) approaches in engineering design, Six Sigma process improvement tools and techniques, and the needs of one segment of the neurodiverse population: autistic people.
Design for X (DfX): Guidelines, heuristics, metrics and models
Six Sigma: Reducing defects, reducing variation, and increasing variation
Neurodiversity Needs: Reducing ambiguity, optimizing sensory density, and increasing possibilities for engagement
(There’s more information in my slides at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Wlekssfsxq9PzMscKgy8muBthavDLSLhnLUujFgRP9c.)
I’m also interested in convening a community of researchers who publish about improving education, workforce development, or industrial design for people with autism and other differences associated with neurodiversity. If you are one of these people, please contact me!
